The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys

mortgage crisis

“When Wells Fargo sold Ms. Halterman’s loan to London-based HSBC, it got bundled with 4,050 other mortgages and used as collateral for a security issued in July 2007. More than 85% of the mortgages were, like Ms. Halterman’s, “subprime” loans to borrowers with blemished credit, according to Tom Atteberry of First Pacific Advisors LLC, a Los Angeles investment-management company.

Credit-ratings firms Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service gave the new security their top “triple-A” ratings, which suggested investors were extremely likely to get their money back plus interest. S&P declined to explain its assessment. A Moody’s spokesman didn’t respond to requests for comment.”